[1v1] Venting (Piper/Brenley)

[medigel]

She had no idea what she was doing honestly. Most people didn't react to a friend trying to help them out by fighting them--let alone friends who also might or might not have just confessed to a crush.

(Oh, that was a wonderful word. Made a nice feeling run through her veins and eased the knot inside.)

But the words had been said and here she was in the gym anyway. Might as well go all the way. Besides, Piper had recently become a second year and she wanted to experiment! That was as good an excuse as any. And maybe, sure, she wanted to show off just a little...make Brenley dance for fun. He seemed pretty willing to help at any rate, so it wasn't selfish of her to take advantage, no sir.

"Here, let's make this more fun: winner gets to lord over the loser for a week," Piper offered with a grin. As she cocked her hip, her weapon materialized: a midsized jar that was starting to suspiciously look like a small cannon. She pushed some hair behind her ear and began to unhook her earrings. "That sound alright, B-Ren?"

This was not to make him more comfortable with fighting her, she told herself. It was just to show the benevolent side of the Afroqueen. Yes. Just some fun.

Smerdle

/o/

 

[Smerdle]

The gym. Yes. Brenley had been paying attention the day that some school administrator or another had told them they weren't permitted to fight anywhere else, but, well, he was a bit too preoccupied at the moment to remember that, now wasn't he? Thoughts that normally took no time at all to form were slowed with worry and doubt, amongst other things. Giving his new little passenger a quick glance, the boil shrugged and followed, his gaze darting between the sky, the ground, his hands, and Piper in equal measure.

Once they had reached their destination and the ghoul got to removing her jewelry, Bren took the opportunity to do the same, leaving only the lock under his shirt that he couldn't have removed if he'd tried.  

[Smerdle]

He summoned his katar and was briefly shocked by how... small they seemed now, but their presence still stoked a dim fire in him that chased away some of his nerves. By the time he looked back up at the ghoul, his smile had returned, less forced than before.

"Just a week?" he said, brushing his weapons together so they rang out softly. He bent his knees, fully intending to take the first strike but finding he was unable to. "If that's all you want then yes, that's fine. I accept." Pleased by the fact that he didn't sound all that nervous anymore, Brenley took a deep breath and waited to counter her attack.

HP: 40
Damage: lol

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

As the earrings came off, the cardinal gave one final chirp (perhaps a cheer or a wish for good luck?) before abruptly going up in a plume of smoke. "Fine," she retorted with an even more impish look. "Two weeks." And when she won, she'd make a very fine use of those fourteen days (probably).

Piper scoffed at the sight of Brenley's weapons, still of the mind that size definitely was proportionate to power (or at least indicative of it). They were interesting little dagger things, but they were no match for her new upgrade. Swinging the jug over her shoulder, the ghoul grinned with pride. "Shouldn't bring a knife to a gun fight, B-Ren," she taunted, clutching at one of the handles like a trigger.

It was her first time actually handling her weapon's new form, but she was confident in herself: or maybe fighting really was the only way she could focus her energy into something productive. Or maybe she took a little too much glee in the idea of having an excuse to hit someone.

Suck it, New Years, she was starting off with a blast!

Literally. Piper found it natural to channel her magic in this new manner, coalescing balls of fire the size of her fist to rapidly expel from the jar like bullets at Brenley, each one hissing and crackling as if with glee themselves. The jar jiggled in her grasp, but she was way, way too happy with the result to even think of being distracted.

HP: 40
Damage: 10

Smerdle

so ic it hurts wow dice

 

[Smerdle]

He should have known not to stand so close or to allow his curiosity to get the better of him, but all he could think to do as he saw the mouth of her jar begin to glow with impending doom was lean closer. It was a mistake. He caught the first couple of fireballs squarely in the chest, dodging awkwardly as he struggled to regain the breath she'd knocked out of him. His new position saved him from any more hits to the chest, but he still managed to take another to the shoulder and two more to his arm before he was out of harm's way for the time being. Brenley had nothing to say, no amusing quips or taunts designed to throw her off. All he could do was retreat and hope he didn't fall on his a**.

Out of necessity he caught his breath quickly, but that alone didn't solve his bigger problem. Just how was he supposed to get close enough to strike back? A knife to a gun fight, indeed. He hadn't thought to bring his collection of pebbles and shells to the school's New Year's party of all places, so he was left without any strong auxiliary attacks as well. All he could rely on was speed. Adrenaline-fueled laughter threatened at the thought of him and speed having anything to do with each other, but he kept it down, rushing forward and swiping at her with his blades instead. He barely connected, but at least he was fighting back now.

"You're right," he finally said with a small smile. "But it's not like I have a choice." Or did he? He was beginning to think a reaper's weapon wasn't as permanent as he'd thought.

HP: 30
Damage: 2

Ol-j-man

so many lols

 

[medigel]

"Aw, don't worry: bet those'd come in handy at the dinner you'll be paying for," Piper teased. She thoroughly enjoyed being in the lead so to speak, but she hoped Brenley would rise to the occasion in battle: after all, what was the point in winning if your opponent didn't make it worth while?

"Weeeeeaaaaaak." She pouted as her shield was barely scratched, swinging the smoking jar at him once more. The next barrage of fiery bullets flew more at the boil's feet to get him moving. "Maybe it's a good thing you didn't bug Kettil: then I'd have to help your sorry a** to the nurse." At least she sounded a little less condescending this time. A little.

HP: 38
Damage: 7

Smerdle

why does my y2 character fight better than my soon to grad one what is this

 

[Smerdle]

Dinner? Bren danced away from the mage's latest assault with a surprised gasp as several fireballs struck his feet, but what stunned him more were her words. Had she just implied that they'd have dinner... together... if he lost? Why?

He had no time to answer the silent question he had posed, however. She was taunting him, and even though he hoped she was only doing so to throw him off, her tone spurred him to action. The few times he had practiced fighting with his father, he had used his enchanted pebbles as a surprisingly effective diversionary tactic. He would have no such assistance here, but he did have... some balls he could use. Brenley sighed.

Glancing away from Piper for a second, the boil desummoned a blade and crouched to grab a stray maceball, closing his fingers around it and squeezing it to within an inch of its leathery life. He had never tried to enchant something as quickly as he planned to now, but if he didn't try, well...

He stopped that train of thought in its tracks. If he surrendered now, he wouldn't run the risk of blowing himself up from the inside. Not trying was clearly the better option, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He contracted his fist even tighter somehow, muttering a brief word as he spread an intricate tangle of power over the ball. His newly made homing bomb began to glow bright blue as Bren rolled it toward Piper with a sharp flick of his wrist, and just as soon as he had risen to his feet again, the thing exploded at her feet.

HP: 23
Damage: 5
FEAR: Y1 Battle Cry

Ol-j-man

so much yes... i mean i'm not dealing with that here, obviously ( emotion_awesome ) but my almost-grad fought like a champ as a Y2 and now he just sticks the dice up his nose rather than rolling them

 

[medigel]

Piper squinted as her opponent backed off for a moment. She was used to her battles being rowdy and full of taunts and friendly name calling: then again, she mostly had sparred within the family. Being quiet like this made her suspicious. "Oy, B-Ren, whassa matter? Stunned by my awesome skills?" she preened with a smirk, striking a small pose even. "I know, I'm pretty swag and all at this~ Doesn't mean you shouldn't--"

And then she saw it: a flicker of blue light. It was her first time seeing Brenley enchant something, and she had to admit she didn't know what to expect; her mouth was left parted just a little, forgetting her words. By the time the spelled maceball reached her, Piper realized what it was--too late.

A small surprised noise left her as she staggered back from the explosion, waving away the smoke with a few coughs. "Alright--Alright, I'll give you a C+ for that," Piper managed as her vision cleared, keeping her grin up even as she coughed. "Never saw you do magic before in person, or not like that at least. Pretty sweet."

And then the ghoul launched forward, one hand tugging the jar behind her while the other whirled at him, encased in a thin but stiff layer of packed rock.

"But mine's better~!"

HP: 33
Damage: 3

Smerdle

XDDD I think the first upgrade they sometimes go WHOA I CAN ACTUALLY HIT THINGS YES and then with third year get lazy because "d10s? Eh it'll go down fast (eventually)"

 

[Smerdle]

Bren grinned giddily in the bomb's aftermath, half because he was genuinely amused by her reaction and half because he was still feeling a little light headed. He replied with a teasingly affronted, "C+?" when she continued, summoning his second blade as she approached. "You bet it was... sweet. A+, even. I had no idea I could enchant so fa—"

He had seen her fist coming from what seemed like a mile away, but apparently that didn't mean he would be able to dodge it in time, especially when he saw what she had done with it up close. He had to admit, that was pretty cool. It was also something he was sure he would never be able to replicate. "You got me there," he said with a snort. Luckily, the punch also put her close enough to be in range of his weapons once more. He slashed at Piper as he took a step away from her, then took a second swipe with noticeably more intent.

HP: 20
Damage: 6

Ol-j-man

very true XD maybe they'll be more effective as grads

 

[medigel]

There we go. It looked like Brenley was starting to get into it. Hell, he was grinning. That wasn't something she saw everyday. Actually the way he lit up was kind of cute (only kind of, not anything more of course), seeing as the boil was normally more reserved. Battles really were the best way to kick the year off.

Granted, Piper didn't get to appreciate that smile for too long. Maybe getting close like this was pressing her luck. The first slash she couldn't counter as her body was still turning from the punch (and her other hand was still clutching her weapon); Brenley's second slice met with her jar as she swung it around to try and fend him off, but the impact both surprised and pushed her back with a wince regardless. See, all it took was a little goading! Although...ow.

"Now that's what I'm talking 'bout!" Piper cheered, backing off to recollect herself. "Sure, you still can't win, but I like it when my losers have a little spirit before I crush them~" She'd have to keep on her toes, though--she could poke Brenley all she wanted, but a weapon was still a weapon, and magic was still magic.

(Even if both of hers were clearly superior.)

"Y'know, now that I can actually see you . . . You get a hair cut or something?" Actually, come to think of it, there seemed to be a few nuances that were different in the gym's brighter light.

HP: 27
Damage: 0

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

He shook his head faintly, still smiling, and swung at Piper while she remained in range. It felt good to be on the receiving end of her taunts, at least while he needed the motivation to hit her, even if he utterly failed at returning them. Most of the time he had no problem thinking of disparaging things to say about people, but his own sense of self-preservation kept him from voicing them even when he was invited to. Besides, the only negative words he could think to say about Piper were not suitable for a friendly spar.

Even with the trash-talking odds stacked against him, Bren still thought he should at least give it a try anyway. In his mind, he got as far as, Oh, yeah? before she asked him about his hair.

His hair? Oh, right.

Letting his guard down a bit, Brenley nodded, his weapons preventing him from trying to smooth down their topic of conversation. "It had an... accident." Piper's hair looked just as conversation-starting as always, maybe even more so tonight. He wondered what would happen if he aimed for it instead of her, then decided that was a terrible thing to think about just in case she had developed telepathy.

HP: 20
Damage: 3

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

Brenley was a smart man, deciding not to touch the ghoul's hair.

She gave him a cheeky look for the swipe. "Yeah? You been getting into trouble when I'm not lookin'?" Piper asked, pulling her jar up like a cannon once more. "'Cause, babe, all the trouble you need's right here~"

With the status of second year under her belt, she'd come to assume that also meant her Fear was getting stronger (and by proxy awesomer), and clearly after saying such amazing words they needed to be punctuated by a certain pizazz. If her jar could shoot out magic bullets, it stood to reason that her Fear probably had something to do with it, right?

And Piper was correct. Her assumption that she could handle it, though, was mistaken.

A hissing noise emanated from the jar, the sound of fire spitting as it was created from some odd pocket dimension deep within: similar to her first few baragges, but the brightness hinted this was probably going to hurt more if it hit. Ready--aim--fire!

The first ball of fire, roughly the size of her head (hair included), erupted from the jar, streaming tongues behind it like a small meteor. It was, however, shortlived and promptly burst into many more smaller balls which, if her control had been better, might have actually hit. Piper wasn't really paying attention because expelling that hunk of fire had a bigger recoil than she expected.

The ghoul was currently flat on her a** and smelling of smoke a foot back from her original position, stunned at first before making an indignant squawking sort of noise as she hustled to her feet. "You didn't see that."

HP: 27
Damage: to her pride (Y1 Swift Strikes)

Smerdle

aaand now she's just missing all over the place sure why not /o/

 

[Smerdle]

If by 'trouble' she meant locking himself in his dorm room for over a week, so absorbed in his research that he inadvertently left his hair to mat into an unbrushable mess further exacerbated by a handful of bizarre adventures in an underground warehouse, then yes, he had been getting into it without her knowledge.

Brenley actually snorted at her pompous words, but he didn't take her any less seriously in his amusement. The boil backed up as she raised her jar and it began to glow, the intensity of its light forcing him to squint since he refused to turn away. If he couldn't somehow manage to dodge, he had a feeling this was going to be painful. Instinct told him to run away, but he held his reaction in check, not wanting to make a complete a** of himself. He bent his knees once again, bracing himself for...

A short chucklehuff burst from him as her jar misfired, more out of relief than ridicule, but he soon dropped his smile as she rose. ...Mostly. A smirk remained, though he tried to lessen it by pressing his lips into a line. "I think I did," Bren replied. "But I won't tell anyone." He didn't look very sincere. "I promise."

HP: 20
Damage: 0

Ol-j-man

promise not promise

 

[medigel]

She did not like that look.

Well yes she did but that was only a partial thing and not at all noteworthy and had nothing to do with the battle whatsoever clearly in fact of course shut up.

Ahem, she did not like that look.

"B-Ren, if y'value having hair at all, you'll keep quiet," Piper warned with a scowl. "Hell, you smirkin' a lot like you think you're winnin' this fight. Lemme remind you that you're fighting The Afroqueen."

If there was any implied amount of regal airs behind the word, they were promptly ruined when she flung her jar at Brenley like a lopsided maceball. Maybe she wanted to see him fall on his a**, too, that wasn't a crime!

HP: 27
Damage: 6

Smerdle

and now for more Piper: The Sassening

 

[Smerdle]

Brenley made a valiant effort to stop being amused, or at the very least not to appear so. He focused on thoughts of being stranded in a lake with super-sized fish, each lazy flap of their fins moving them closer to touching him. He imagined standing, completely naked, in front of a room crowded with students. He pondered a life without hands. Nothing worked. He had agreed to this fight to placate her, the make her feel better after a somewhat disappointing evening, and now all he could do was chuckle. But surely he was laughing with her, not at her. Right?

"I know who—" he managed before the jar struck him full in the chest, sending him flying off of his feet and onto the floor. Bren let out an amused, "Ow," staring at the ceiling for several seconds, then slowly pushed himself to his feet. His weapons were gone, dissipated in his surprise over hitting the ground, and he was still smiling.

"I would look like a complete idiot without hair, your majesty, so I will..." He brought his fingers to his lips, turning an invisible key and throwing it aside.

HP: 14
Damage: 0

Ol-j-man

brenley the giddy falls on his a** on command